GF Vegan Pesto and Vegetable Lasagna!

Oh. my. goodness. Can I just say that eating this GF and vegan lasagna felt like heaven?! Oh. my. goodness.

Layers of noodles, eggplant, portobello mushrooms, spinach, pesto, "cheese" and marinara sauce made this one of the best meals I have ever made. My husband and I ate half of the whole casserole in one sitting! It tastes too good to be true - but it is! It is!

So my secrets? Tinkyada GF Lasagna noodles, Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese and homemade pesto!

And it's so simple!

Here are the Ingredients:

8 Tinkyada lasagna sheets
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
4 cloves minced garlic
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms (sliced 1/4 inch think)
2 cups blanched spinach
15 - 20 eggplant cicular slices
1 shredded block of Follow Your Heart mozzarella "cheese"
1/2 cup pesto sauce

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees.

*Pesto Sauce Directions*
(You can certainly omit or use store bought if you prefer, but this recipe is dairy free)

- In a food processor blend 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, salt, black pepper, 4 fresh garlic clove. Then add olive oil and pine nuts (start with a little of both and add until you get the consistency you want).

*Lasagna Directions*

1. Pre-cook 8 Tinkyada lasagna sheets until they are al dente (careful not to over cook).

2. Heat 2 TBS oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

3. Add chopped onion and saute about 5 minutes until soft.

4. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.

5. Add basil and parsley and tomato puree and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

6. While the sauce is simmering, place the sliced mushrooms and eggplant onto a baking sheet. Mix 1/4 olive oil, 1 tsp of garlic and thyme and brush it onto the vegetables. Bake them for 5-8 minutes.

7. Line a casserole dish with 4 cooked lasagna sheets.

8. Put down your first layer of eggplant and mushroom slices, spinach and pesto sauce. Top with half of the tomato sauce and half of the cheese.

9. Repeat the layer and sprinkle all the remaining cheese on the top.

10. Bake 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

And enjoy... !

My Gluten Free Heaven

I feel like the luckiest gluten free girl in the world. Why? Because I live minutes away from the famed Bob's Red Mill!! I can just waltz right into their cafe and store whenever I need a cup of gluten free all-purpose flour or a dash of xantham gum. If you feel slightly jealous about this... well you should. They sell almost everything in bulk and it costs way less than buying everything pre-packaged. They also have aisles of their products packaged or in cases and carry other great gluten free products!

There are two more reasons I love my neighborhood visits to Bob's Red Mill. The first is that they have an amazing cafe. They have freshly baked bread, muffins, chips and more. They also serve daily soup, sandwhiches and have an awesome breakfast. They have a vegetarian menu (with vegan options) and a handout for gluten free cafe items. My personal favorite? The grilled cheese with tomato. It's made on fresh gluten free, vegan bread with warmed slices of tomato and daiya cheese (your choice of cheddar or italian). It tastes ridicously good. But I will warn you that they also mention the possibility of cross contamination when I order. I have never had an issue, but others might.

Lastly, I love visiting the mill because "the man, the myth, the legend", also known as Bob (but I refer calling him the former or simply "Bob Red-Mill"), is often there! Almost every time I go there, I see Bob walking around, talking to customers or employees or even eating at the cafe.

So anyway, this post was just about the awesomeness that is Bob's Red Mill. If you live near Milwaukie, Oregon - then you know how lucky you are! If not, you are still lucky because you can buy these products in many different stores or online (bobsredmill.com)!

MmmmMmmm. Gluten free goodness.


Here I am enjoying breakfast at Bob's Red Mill with friends! And look, Bob was sitting in the table behind ours!